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Browsing tag: about me

  • October 10, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 8

    (Previous installments can be found here.)

    36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
    I’m a firm believer in shades of grey. That being said, there are things that are never acceptable for whatever reason. Pedophilia. Lynching. Rape. You know the kinds of things I mean.

    37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
    No, not at this stage. I would use to it to travel and buy a house. And obviously save/invest some.

    38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
    I think the latter. I often find myself wishing I had more to do during the day and trying to make work for myself.

    39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
    Yeah. I like my routine though: I like to have the time to come home, cook, put my feet up, read and generally keep things in running order.

    40.When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
    ….I can’t think of any. My spontaneity only extends as far as unplanned weekend trips or walks to the park. What can I say? I’m a planner.

  • October 3, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 7

    (Previous installments can be found here.)

    31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
    Er…working on the day of the Canterbury quake? I don’t know if that quite counts as passionate and alive. Maybe graduation last year. Or spending two days in the Coromandel, right before that, when all I had to do was eat, sunbathe and swim. Or going back to high school, performing in the talent quest every year.

    No, I know. It was dancing and singing my heart out to my friends’ cover band playing Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon earlier this year.

    32. If not now, then when?

    …Is this following on from #31? In that case, I can tell you when – in a week and a half when I see Metallica live. October 13 baby!!!

    33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

    Oh, money, probably.

    34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

    I don’t think so, no. Perhaps conversations where certain things went unsaid…but no.

    35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

    I firmly stand by the belief that love is not enough. Look, I don’t want to get into this, but there are plenty of things written in various holy scriptures that are polarising.

  • September 19, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 6

    (Previous installments can be found here.)

    26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
    What a quandary. Basically, you’re asking me to choose between the past and the future. And because I don’t know what the future has in store for me, it’s a gamble. Do I think that I have even better things ahead of me than I’ve already experienced?

    …I guess the answer is yes. So, I’d rather lose all my old memories – grudgingly. Damn these conundrums!

    27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
    Why not?

    28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
    I’m a functioning, employed member of society with a roof over her head. Does that answer your question?

    29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
    No, and no. (These questions are really on the downward spiral. Still, we’re more than halfway through and I hate to give up on things.)

    30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
    I really can’t think of any specific ones. And that saddens me.

  • September 9, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 5

    21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
    Depends on the day. I’d love a simple life, but OTOH, I’m a bundle of nerves usually, so the genius thing wouldn’t be too much of an extra burden.

    22. Why are you, you?
    Nature + nurture. Simple equation really.

    23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
    Well, I’m not the kind of friend you call up for marathon phone conversations or nights of DH and wine. (I mean, if you wanted to do that, I’d oblige. But when it comes to friendships, I operate more like a guy. Which may explain a lot.) But I think that essentially, I know how to be a real friend. And I’ve been told so by my girlfriends, even though we don’t see each other often. I really do care about people – those who are important to me, at least – and get caught up in their ups and downs.

    24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
    I’m tempted to say the former: Nothing beats being able to see one of your best friends face to face. I don’t think I’ve really lost touch with anyone important to me (excepting a friend who drifted away after primary school but is now back in my wider circle), but that’s probably much more hurtful to experience. Hopefully I’ll never have to find out.

    25. What are you most grateful for?
    At this very second, health. Although that’s more like wishful thinking. For the last week or so, my wisdom teeth have been keeping me up at night (and preventing me eating normally); now, it seems like my entire face is suffering from eczema.

  • August 25, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind, part 4

    (Click here for Parts 1, 2 and 3.)

    16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
    Because I’m an introvert.

    17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
    Travel. Money.

    18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
    I actually don’t think so. I’m feeling pretty emotionally healthy, touch wood.

    19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
    Not a clue. I haven’t been to enough places yet. Certainly not back to tropical Asia. Nowhere south of Auckland, I don’t think, nowhere colder than here.

    20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
    Is this for real?

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  • August 18, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind (Part 3)

    (Previous installments: Part 1 and Part 2)

    11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
    Start getting flushed, sweaty and worked up. Defend her good qualities. Wonder why I always get put in the most awkward situations.

    12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
    Follow your heart.

    13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
    I sure hope so.

    14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
    I think my first reaction is usually trustworthy.

    15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
    Sometimes I read the newspaper backwards. If I read it at all.

  • August 11, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind (Part 2)

    Part One is here.

    6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
    I would spend very little of my time working. I’d buy, cook and eat good food. I’d travel to Europe, America, and parts of Asia. Around New Zealand. Spend days reading in the sun, lounging on the beach. I would escape winter every year. I’d write when I felt like it. I might even spend some time volunteering. I wouldn’t be in any kind of 9-5 though, I tell you.

    7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

    I don’t know what I believe in anymore. I do know that unlike many journalists, I don’t have lofty ambitions…think war correspondent, political reporter, exposing corrupt business. I just want to be happy and fulfilled in what I do. First I wanted to write. Then I wanted to design, and edit. Now, I’m foundering. I am REASONABLY happy with my current role. It is about as close to what I could ask for in a perfect job at this stage. I certainly am not settling.

    8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
    I’d be a lot less financially responsible. I wouldn’t be saving for retirement, I probably wouldn’t want to buy a house. I’d spend my time and money travelling, going to concerts, eating good food, er, refer back to question 6.

    9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
    I have had plenty of outside influences on my life. Without the help or nudging of others, I might never have left home until I finished school. I would have been miserable and quite possibly had some kind of breakdown. I would never have got the internship that led to a part time job and, eventually a full time job. My life would have been very different.

    That being said, I am the one who excels at my work, whose work ethic got me a second job, who did the hard yards that enabled me to graduate. I am the one who gave T a second chance when we were young and silly, the one who decided not to give up when things got rougher than I could ever have imagined.

    We don’t have control over every single aspect of our lives, but we can maximise every opportunity that comes our way. We can sit back and let life take us where it may, or step up and chart our courses to the best of our ability. For me, I’d say it’s about 70/30 to me.

    10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
    I’ve turned this question over and over in my head, and still haven’t reached a satisfactory conclusion. I’m still not quite sure how to frame it. Of course I want to do the right thing (even when it’s for the wrong reason) and I want to do those things right. Okay, so let’s say a friend is cheating on his girlfriend. Do I tell her – even though my loyalty is to my friend – making it the right thing? Or do I preserve our friendship, thus doing things right? Fuck it, next question please.

  • August 2, 2010

    50 questions that will free your mind (Part 1)

    Stephany (who is an awesome blogger with great insight and determination) is currently doing a series of posts based on 50 questions that will free your mind. This was way too good to pass over, so I’m nudging in and answering them on my own time.

    Plus, I love writing about myself (obviously).

    1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

    Considering I’m prone to snotty, teary tantrums when I’m hungry and can’t open the jar of pasta sauce (weak wrists are the bane of my life), about five. Then again, I love routine, quiet nights in, have almost given up drinking, save for retirement, and can’t wait to buy a house (and eventually do the marriage, kids and carriage bizzo). Overall, I like to think I’m more mature than my real age. Say, 25?

    2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

    Initially, I thought never trying, hands down. No regrets. You’ll never know if you don’t make the leap. Plus, that’s the cool thing to say, really, isn’t it? Nobody wants to admit to being such a wuss that failure is their biggest fear. Stephany summed it up perfectly with this: “With both instances, you’re left with regrets. You’re left with what if’s.”
    I think, without ever really having experienced real, serious, catastrophic failure (more on that in the future) it’s difficult to say. But ultimately, I always think back to one of my favourite cliches: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. If that applies to your personal life, I don’t see why it wouldn’t equally apply to all other areas.

    3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

    I believe the majority of reasons for the former come down either to obligations (societal, familial, etc) and money. Oh, and health, haha. I, on the whole, dislike cleaning. I do it because it’s nasty and unhygienic not to, and I don’t want to look like a slob should people come over. I would definitely outsource this and hire a cleaner…but I’m 22 and hardly rolling in cash. See what I mean? Money and social norms. You might work tons of overtime or take on a crappy project, because you need the money, or to impress the boss (which will hopefully pay off later). We go on diets and do crazy exercise routines to get fit and hot (I guess that’s vanity as well as health).

    Why do we like so many things we don’t do? I’m really not sure what this means, so I can’t think up an answer. Anyone care to enlighten me? (The best I can come up with is perhaps enjoying having money to spend, but not wanting to learn to manage money better in order to achieve that. PF nerdgasm…)

    4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

    When all is said and done, I hope to be remembered. And most importantly, I hope to be remembered not for being good at my job but for having been a good person, and, hopefully, touching the lives of the people I know. I probably won’t change the world in any definitive way, but I hope I’ll have travelled to the places I want to visit, had a family, found fulfilment in my non-professional interests and been financially secure enough never to worry for our welfare.

    5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

    That’s simple. I want more fairness and equality. By that I mean everyone having the basics of life, the necessities: food, water, warmth, a home. To be safe, not to fear for their lives. And I might add, I want there to be less hate. If everyone could get along, stop fighting ideological and physical wars, well that would be just peachy.

  • June 10, 2010

    In a nutshell

    Imagine being called up and asked to give a summary of your life on the spot. No, worse. Thinking up an interesting, clever, witty bio on the spot. This is me, girl of many vague interests but no definitive ones.

    When I was put on the spot to do just that, I froze. I’m a pretty dull person. I jog. (Crap. I totally forgot to go running this week, AGAIN. DAMMIT). Bake. Sing. Blog. I don’t have any quirks! Wait, except the fact that I never play guitar standing up. I just can’t do it.

    Okay, so I can’t do anything about it now. And the odds that I’ll be asked for a bio again anytime soon are basically zero. But that day may come again. And when it does, I want to be prepared.

    So, a hodgepodge of random factoids that may or may not be usable for said bio (written in third person, because, well, why not? It’s fun):

    • Spent most of her childhood with her nose in a book; known to read while walking home from school (luckily there were no roads to cross)
    • That kid who always got 100% in spelling tests
    • Born into a family of accountants, doctors, engineers and other such intellectuals. Mother struggled to understand how she scored better on language tests than math tests
    • Dabbled in tennis, soccer, badminton, rollerblading, netball and more. Stuck with running. Can’t really go wrong with putting one foot in front of the other
    • Played violin for 10 years without ever managing to improve
    • Dreams of keeping a herb garden
    • Also dreamed of being: a bestselling author, rock star, domestic goddess and spelling bee champion

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  • March 28, 2010

    A letter to my 31-year-old self

    Holy crap. Right now, 31 sounds absolutely ancient. 31 to me, means a house and kids. It means having a dining room and dining furniture. No more wiping my nose on my sleeve. Knowing what to do in any given situation. I’m dying to know: are you there yet?

    You have no idea how much I want to know where I (you?) are (will be?). I’ve just graduated. I’m working full-time, and am at a bit of a crossroads in regards to a concrete plan. Who are you, and who have you become? Have you gone into PR? Work freelance or from home? Do you even still work in the media industry? Because right now, you might remember, I’m working some slightly odd hours but getting invaluable experience. I’m still in the awkward position of doing some duties beyond my job title, but that’s where I want to be, and I figure if I prove myself, I can earn that position. It’s those days when I have to step up that I love the work, because there really is nothing worse than having too little to do.

    Have you done the travelling you wanted to do? Seen Europe, the US, the UK? Maybe even some of Asia? Have you dared to take chances…can you proudly say you have no regrets?

    Are you remembering to give to others? To tell the people you love what they mean to you? To make the effort to keep in touch with old friends, with family? Because when it comes down to it, it’s people that matter more than anything else. What is life, without others to share with it? I hope your nieces and nephews have grown up to be strong, kind and intelligent, and comfortable in their own skin. I hope that by now you have no self-doubts.

    Oh, and before I forget, are you engaged? married? Did T manage to buy you a ring? Are we on track to buy a house, and towards a six figure net worth? Curious minds want to know! I’m especially dying to find out where he ended up careerwise.

    I bet you still find social situations painful, but I hope you’ve learned to fake it. I’ve always believed that we only get given what we can handle in life. Remember that, even as every new challenge pushes you to breaking point.

    What about hobbies; do you still read, blog, play tennis, guitar, take photos, attempt to bake? Still eat as much as you want without worrying about weight? Oh, I hope so. Nonetheless, I hope you’re eating better and getting more fresh food into you. And I hope you’re still trying to keep fit, because right now, I’m actually at the point of ENJOYING exercise – so keep it up.

    I’m excited to grow into you. I won’t lie, I’m not in rush to meet you in 10 years – that’s a long way to go. Here’s to ticking off the boxes in the meantime.

    (Here’s to the others who participated in this latest meme).

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